December 30, 2022
Did you know “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is quite a unique song? Besides the fact the singer’s true love gives a lot of very bird-heavy gifts, it has a long and interesting history. The first written documentation of the song was in an English children’s book from 1780 titled Mirth With-Out Mischief and the lyrics were a bit different than they are now. For instance, it originally was Four Colly Birds, not Four Calling Birds. A colly is old English slang for blackbird. It wasn’t until 1909 when Frederic Austin penned the lyrics that we’re all familiar with and the song took on its more permanent version.
At The Kentridge Senior Living, we are excited to celebrate “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and look forward to honoring the song through our unique takes on food. It’s a great opportunity to get creative and turn classic recipes on their heads! This is the second year we will be pairing food items with the song. We start on Christmas Day by incorporating pears into our menus to represent the Partridge in a Pear Tree and finish on January 5th by presenting unique breadsticks that represent the Twelve Drummers Drumming.
I am most excited about day one, December 25th, which is a Partridge in a Pear Tree. We have decided to highlight a pear dessert, a classical French pastry, known as tarte Tatin. Tarte Tatin can be either apples, pears, or peaches that are cooked slowly in a spiced, sugar syrup then topped with pate brisee, or just pastry crust, baked, chilled, then turned out as an upside-down pie, if you will. Doing so ensures highlighting the beauty of the fruit, held perfectly in place by its natural pectin, inside a glassy caramel. It’s a perfectly simple yet elegant dish and further reinforces the idea that with many things in food, less is more.
I was inspired to make this dessert by my love for classical French cooking, and the first time I saw a picture of it. It was in a culinary magazine featuring the dish, as it was prepared at Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, by Chef Thomas Keller’s crew. It looked stunning.
As the Culinary Director, I’m proud of these offerings and excited to share them! So, consider this my personal invitation for you to stop by on any of the days to give my specials a try.
The KentRidge Senior Living in Kent, OH offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near University Hospital Portage Medical Center with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Sunny Hill Golf & Recreation Inc, Stow-Kent Shopping Center, Kent State Univeristy Museum, The Portage Hike & Bike Trail, and Mad Cap Brewing Company.
